Non-woven micro-trellis fabrics and composite or hybrid-composite materials reinforced therewith

Abstract

A non-woven fabric is provided which includes a three-dimensional array of fibers. The three-dimensional array of fibers includes an array of standing fibers extending perpendicular to a plane of the non-woven fabric and attached to a base substrate, where the base substrate is one or more of an expendable film substrate, a metal base substrate, or a mandrel substrate. Further, the three-dimensional array of fibers includes multiple layers of non-woven parallel fibers running parallel to the plane of the non-woven fiber in between the array of standing fibers in a defined pattern of fiber layer orientations. In implementation, the array of standing fibers are grown to extend from the base substrate using laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition (LCVD).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A structure comprising:
 a non-woven fabric, the non-woven fabric including a three-dimensional array of fibers comprising:
 a fiber forest comprising a two-dimensional array of standing fibers of equal height extending within the non-woven fabric perpendicular to a surface of the non-woven fabric; 
 multiple layers of non-woven discrete fibers within the non-woven fabric running parallel to the surface of the non-woven fabric in between the array of standing fibers in a defined pattern of fiber layer orientations, wherein fibers of the multiple layers of non-woven discrete fibers running parallel to the surface of the non-woven fabric are laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) formed fibers; and 
 wherein standing fibers of the array of standing fibers of equal height extending perpendicular to the surface of the non-woven fabric are anchored into a metal base substrate, and form a hybrid-composite with the metal base substrate integrally joined by the standing fibers to a composite material structure comprising a matrix material surrounding the multiple layers of non-woven discrete fibers within the non-woven fabric. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The structure of  claim 1 , further comprising a cooling gap defined by a space between the metal base substrate and the composite material structure with the multiple layers of non-woven discrete fibers running parallel to the surface of the non-woven fabric in between the array of standing fibers of equal height. 
     
     
       3. The structure of  claim 2 , wherein the cooling gap comprises a cooling channel disposed between the metal base substrate and the composite material structure with the multiple layers of non-woven discrete fibers running parallel to the surface of the non-woven fabric. 
     
     
       4. The structure of  claim 2 , wherein standing fibers of the array of standing fibers of equal height in the cooling gap operate as elastic beams that compensate for differences in thermal expansion between the metal base substrate and the composite material structure with the multiple layers of non-woven discrete fibers.